Reminiscence
by Erin Kamikaze
Summary: Armin visits Annie's crystal and thinks about all that happened between them.


_I sat down intending to write the second chapter of my Jearmin fic, got bored, went on Tumblr, saw an awesome Annie and Armin fanart, and thought "What if...?" The monstrosity you see here is my caffeine laced brainchild that I stayed up late to write. Hope you enjoy._

* * *

She was beautiful, entombed in crystal, a queen among mortals trapped inside never melting-ice. Armin traced his hand over the crystal sealing away her face, a pain in his heart. _"_How could you do this Annie,_" _he questioned sadly. "I know you can't answer, but I just want to know why. Was everything between us a lie?"

XxX

_From the moment Armin had set eyes on her, he knew she was special. She had stood at attention, facing forward as the instructor passed. Her face was blank, devoid of emotion, but Armin knew there had to be something there. No one could be that icy. He believed that in every person there was some bit of warmth, and Annie was a conundrum. Without even talking to the girl, he knew he wanted to melt the ice._

_ When the instructor was done picking on him, Armin snuck glances at Annie's still impassive face. He needed to find a way to talk to her. To somehow solve her mystery. But she faced forward impassively, giving no hint of a reaction to her classmates' pain and embarrassment by way of the instructor. _

XxX

"I always knew there was something different about you, something special. But I never thought it would be this." Armin gave a bitter smile. "Seems I couldn't figure out everything about you…"

XxX

_ His chance to talk to Annie came about a week later during hand to hand combat training. The instructor had just finished demonstrating the drill and the trainees were breaking up into pairs to practice. Armin became nervous when Eren was snatched up by Reiner and Mikasa reluctantly agreed to pair up with an awkward Jean. He searched frantically around for sympathetic face, someone he knew when he saw her, standing alone at the fringe of the group._

_ He approached her awkwardly. "Um, do you want to pair up?" He asked quietly. Annie stared at him for a moment, and Armin became wary, expecting her refusal. "Sure," she said simply. He let out a relieved grin. "Oh thank you," he said happily. Finally, here was a chance to solve the puzzle, a chance to find out how she ticked._

_ "Okay, we're supposed to block punches, so I'll be the attacker first," he told Annie. Armin stepped forward into an awkward punch. Instantly, he felt her hands on his arm, tilting it up. "The punch is supposed to be to my face." Armin flushed red. "Sorry," he said, embarrassed. This earned a nod from the girl. 'Progress,' he thought to himself. He stepped forward in a punch to her head this time. In a blink Annie was on him, gripping his arm and using her leg to sweep his feet out from under him. Armin tumbled to the ground in a heap. "Annie, we're supposed to be blocking the punches, not attacking our partners," he said, clutching his head. His ears were still ringing from his head's impact with the ground._

_ "I did block it. I then followed it up." Annie seemed oblivious to the pain that Armin was feeling. "Yeah, but we're not doing that yet," he protested._

_ "So you want me to hold back?" She questioned, her eyes cold. 'She doesn't even seem to care about others. This will be difficult," he decided. Still, that made her even more of a mystery to unravel. _

_ "No, I guess not," he admitted. "But where did you learn that, anyways?"_

_ Annie was quiet for a moment. "My father," she said quietly. _

_ "Your father? Where is he now?" She didn't answer him. They were quiet for a moment, Annie standing with her arms crossed and Armin still on the ground, before he realized he had reached on a touchy subject. "Sorry," he said in apology. She nodded again and gave him a small smile._

_ That was the first time she had ever smiled at him_

XxX

"I didn't really know what to think when you smiled at me like that. It really confused me, since it was right after I'd asked an invasive question. The first time you laughed at me was just as odd…"

XxX

_ The crunch as Annie had fallen on the ground had been sickening. When Armin saw her lying there like a wilting flower, he heart felt like it had frozen. The trainees maneuvered over to where Annie was on the ground. She sat up, a dazed expression on her face, and attempted to stand up, falling back to the ground as her ankle gave out. The instructor made his way over to where the trainees were amassed. "Out of the way, out of the way," he commanded as he pushed through them. He bent on the ground and prodded Annie's left ankle. She gave out a small whimper. 'She never shows any signs of weakness,' Armin thought worriedly. If Annie was openly hurting, then it must be serious. The instructor lifted her from the ground, slinging her left arm over his, and led her away._

_ Armin couldn't sleep that night. His thoughts kept flashing back to the way Annie had lay on the ground and whimpered. His tired imagination added blood around her still body, her small cry turning into screams of pain. No matter how hard he tried to sleep, no matter how many time he told himself that worrying wouldn't help, Armin could not enter the clutches of the dreamworld. It wouldn't have even mattered if he had. His dreams would have been nightmares of her. _

_ The next day they were told that Annie had a broken ankle and would be out of training for six weeks. When Armin heard this he breathed a sigh of relief. His images of her broken body disappeared and he began to wonder how to make her feel better. Food didn't seem right for Annie, and anything too sentimental seemed too sappy. 'Flowers,' he decided. Yes, flowers seemed right. He knew Annie would probably laugh in his face, but he had to try. He wanted to see her smile, to laugh. Armin wanted to make her feel something, and flowers would be a good place to start._

XxX

"And of course, I never bothered to ask you anything regarding flowers…"

XxX

_The nearest florist was a ten mile walk, so wild flowers would have to do. Near the forest where they had their 3D maneuver gear training, the place where Annie had her accident, was a field of flowers that was very beautiful to look at. Sometimes Armin and the other trainees would go there in their free time and talk about training and life in general. Annie never went with them, so he figured the flowers would be a nice surprise. _

_ He woke up early that morning. They were given the day off due to a strenuous three day hike that was to happen the next day. Most of the others were planning to sleep in and hang around, but Armin dutifully put on his boots that morning and made the thirty minute out to the field. He reached it just as the sun was coming up in all its brilliant glory. The delicate flowers made a comfortable cushion as Armin lay down and watched the sunrise. 'It's so beautiful,' he thought sleepily and closed his eyes, the lack of sleep the past couple of days catching up with him._

_ "Um, Armin? Are you alright?" Armin slowly opened his eyes and stared into the concerned face of Reiner. He sat up. "Me and Bertholdt came for a walk and found you lying here." The dark haired boy nodded in agreement._

_ "I fell asleep…?" Armin wondered about why he was there for a moment. "Oh, Annie! I came here to pick flowers for Annie." Reiner smiled slyly and elbowed Armin teasingly. "Say Armin, do you like Annie or something?"_

_ He flushed red. "No, no, I just wanted to make her feel a bit better in the clinic." Inwardly he thought about Reiner's question. Did he like Annie? 'I do think about her a lot, but I just want to solve her. She's like a puzzle,' he reasoned. He just wanted to make her feel _something_._

_ Reiner turned to Bertholdt. "I don't know, she's awfully pretty, isn't she?"_

_ "That she is," Bertholdt agreed. Armin couldn't deny that. He himself had spent hours thinking about her looks, about how blue her eyes were, how he wanted to run his hands through her hair. Would it be silky? Armin had wondered about that for a while. 'I don't know… do I like her?' He asked himself, not trusting his feelings. _

_ "Well, we'd better be going. Have fun with your flower picking. I bet either Annie will either love them or laugh in your face," Reiner said jokingly._

_ "I really hope it's the first one," Armin said softly as he watched Reiner and Bertholdt leave. When the two trainees disappeared from sight, he started the difficult process of choosing the flowers. The yellow ones wouldn't do, they were too cheery. Even though Annie had to be happy sometimes, she was by no means a happy person. The red ones wouldn't do either, they were too garish. Annie was a bit of an understated person, never the center of attention. He began to sort through the flowers, finding none that were fit to grace Annie's bedside with. 'None of these fit!' He was just starting to get worried when he saw them. These flowers were small and delicate, a shade of blue that perfectly matched Annie's eyes. 'It's a tad creepy that I know that color so well.' _

_ He picked a small bouquet, nothing over the top, and headed back to the barracks. He ran into Eren on the way. "Hey Armin," he called out to his friend. Spotting the flowers in Armin's hands, he asked "Who are those for?"_

_ "Oh, these are for Annie."_

_ "Annie? Why are you bringing Annie flowers?" Eren asked, confused._

_ "I thought she might like them, being bedridden and everything." Remembering his conversation with Reiner and Bertholdt, he blurted out "It's not like that or anything!"_

_ "Like what?" The brunette asked._

_ "Oh, nothing."_

_ "Armin, you're really weird sometimes. But you're my friend anyways." Armin smiled at his friend's comment. "Thanks, Eren."_

_ When Armin reached the clinic, he was greeted by a grumpy faced man in uniform. "What do you want?" he spat at Armin. "Umm… can I see Annie Leonhardt?" The man scowled. "Her? She doesn't talk and I thought she didn't have any friends, but here you are. I'll bring you to her." 'Me and Annie are friends, right?' Armin had always admired her from afar, and most of their interactions had been casual, but he was probably the closest thing she had to a friend, seeing as she didn't seem to interact with anyone else._

_ When they entered the room, Armin saw Annie on top of the bed with her ankle wrapped up, reading a book. She lifted her eyes from her book and stared at the bouquet in Armin's hands. "I guess people care about you after all. I'll leave you two alone," the man said and left the room._

_ "What is that?" she asked as soon as the door closed._

_ "I… thought you might like some flowers." As soon as Armin said that, he realized how stupid he must have sounded. 'She probably thinks I'm creepy.' He was surprised when she reached for them. He surrendered them to her, his hand brushing her surprisingly cold fingers. Annie sniffed the flowers deeply. "Calla lilies…" she said quietly._

_ "Do you like them?" Armin asked hopefully._

_ "I'm allergic to them." Armin's eyes opened in shock. "Oh my God, I didn't know! I'm so sorry!" He reached for the seemingly innocuous flowers frantically. Annie held on to them. "Are you going to go into shock or break out into hives?" He asked worriedly._

_ "No, it's fine. I only have a mild allergy." She snagged the cup of water from her bedside and unceremoniously shoved the flowers inside. The sharp click of glass on wood made Armin jump. "Why are you keeping them there if you're allergic? I have to throw them out," he pleaded. Annie simply looked at him and laughed._

_ As soon as Annie laughed, Armin froze. He remembered the conversation from earlier.' . I bet either Annie will either love them or laugh in your face,' Reiner had said. The laugh hadn't been mean or malicious, but it still hurt all the same. He wanted her to be laughing with him, not at him. "I hope you liked them," he muttered and walked towards the door, dejected._

_ "Armin." He turned around. "I did. Thank you." He gave Annie a small smile. "I hoped you would," Armin said, and strolled out the door with a bounce in his step. He passed the man who had shown him Annie's room. "What's up with you, kid?" The man called out. "Anyone would think you had gotten lucky." Armin smiled. "I did."_

XxX

"I know he had meant it in a different way, but I did get lucky. You hadn't laughed at me outright. Even though you should have after what happened next…"

XxX

_The flowers incident had awakened something in Armin. He had never noticed girls before, but that particular incident with Annie had released some repressed urge in Armin. He no longer simply thought about how pretty her hair was. He now wondered what it would be like to hold her, to kiss her, to crack the code that was Annie in more ways than one. At first he was ashamed by this, that he thought such dirty things about a friend, but after a while Armin had to admit to himself that he truly liked Annie, that he wanted their friendship to be more. He wanted her to tell him all of her deepest secrets, to share things with him that she shared with no one else, to be his._

_ But Armin was no fool. He knew it was never meant to be, that she would never reciprocate. And it hurt. He decided that unreturned feelings were worse than no feelings at all. At least if you didn't feel anything you didn't know what you lacked. He envied Annie for that lack of feeling, of attachment, of not being bound by emotions, while at the same time wanting to make her feel something. For him. He now watched her openly. Others commented on it, his "unhealthy obsession with Annie", as Eren put it. He would not be stopped. His glances were never outright lusty or perverted, but he had definitely thought those kinds of things at one time or another._

_ It was a paradox. By wanting to be with Annie, Armin was pushing her farther away from him, trying not to interact with her in fear of alienating the girl. He didn't know if felt bothered by his attention to her, but if she did she didn't show it. He was always careful to never meet her eyes, to never be caught looking. To be caught was to be denied, he told himself over and over. He had to hold out some hope. He just wanted her to be happy, to smile, to laugh. She had already done the last two in her presence, but he wanted the first one to be a reality. He had to try._

_ So one day, Armin decided it was time to end these feelings, to be rejected. He decided to corner her one day after training, to confess these horrible, overbearing feelings to her. To be denied was closure enough, no matter how much he wanted the alternative. _

_ Armin let out a breath as he stood in front of Annie, who was leaning against the wall with an impassive expression on her face. He breathed in and out, nervous even though he knew the outcome. "Annie," he began, "I know it was rude to call you out here after today's training, but I need to tell you something. I… I think I'm in love with you." He stared at the ground, unable to look her in the eye. "I know it's really creepy and you'll probably hate me after this, but-"A hand lightly slipped under his chin and tilted his face upward, and suddenly Annie's lips were on his. Armin floundered for a moment, not realizing the situation, but as soon as he realized that he was kissing Annie, he was quick to reciprocate. It was a very awkward kiss, as he had never done it before and was pretty sure she hadn't either. A thousand thoughts were running through Armin's mind, all of them about Annie. He lightly wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed the brief moment of heaven before they broke apart. Armin's face was flushed while Annie's was as emotionless as ever. _

_ "I've never done that before," he stammered._

_ "So you love me?" Annie asked. "Yes," he answered firmly. She was silent for a moment. "I don't understand it, but I feel something for you. I think I could grow to love you." Armin smiled. "That's good," he said softly._

XxX

"When you said that, I felt the happiest I had in my life. You were all that mattered in that moment, and all the moments that followed." He smiled ruefully. "Even that time everyone almost found out we were together."

XxX

_The days after that blended together. Annie was all he could think about. After training they would sneak out to the field of flowers together and spend time, as it was the easiest place to be alone. Sometimes they would just kiss and even do a bit more than kissing occasionally, but for the most part they would talk. Armin would tell Annie about his life, about his personal thoughts, about anything really, and Annie would make comments or ask him to clarify things. Armin would try to get her to talk about her life before training, but she was taciturn as usual. She would occasionally slip up and let loose a personal tidbit of information, and Armin would dissect it immediately. He discovered she liked cats and that she wished she knew how to play the violin. Little things like that would occupy his thoughts for days._

_ Armin was so happy in those times. He originally thought she was a puzzle, but he soon grew to realize she was more of a bedtime story that could be retold many times and never get boring. She started laughing more when Armin told her that he liked it when she did. Similarly, Armin would tell her about the outside world he had read about in books, about the natural wonders he hoped humanity would one day see. She seemed to love these stories, and constantly asked him how these things could be. He didn't have a definite answer, but they would hypothesize together. It didn't matter to Armin what they did as long as they were together._

_ One of those days in that period of heaven, they were lying in the flowers talking about Jean's humorous fall in the training the day before. Armin stopped talking and stared into Annie's eyes and Annie let out a small blush. He leaned over to kiss her when they heard voices._

_ "-and then Jean fell!"_

_ "Shut up idiot!" Annie and Armin sat up, startled. Armin opened his mouth to ask what they were going to do, and shut it when Annie placed on delicate finger over his lips. She stood up quickly and ran over to the cover of the nearby forest. Eren, Jean, Connie, Reiner, and Bertholdt emerged from the trees. Reiner spotted Armin lying by himself in the flowers. "Armin, why are you lying there?" He asked._

_ "I was just thinking about some things," Armin said, trying not to look at the trees where Annie was, in fear of giving her position away. They couldn't be caught. Armin didn't mind if people saw him as a romantic sap, but he knew Annie worked hard to maintain her icy image and invulnerability. Betraying her with a simple glance seemed completely traitorous to think of._

_ "Is this where you're always disappearing off to?" Eren asked him. "We don't see much of you anymore."_

_ "No, I just came here today to think," he said, feeling a bit guilty. He had been so happy with Annie he hadn't thought about how his friends felt. 'I'll make sure to spend some more time with them,' he resolved. _

_ Connie cleared his throat. "It's getting a bit late, maybe we should get back," he suggested. "Coming, Armin?"_

_ "Yeah," he said quietly. He let the others walk a little bit ahead of him before he glanced back to the thicket where Annie was concealed. She watched him go, a strange smile on her face. Armin had no idea what it meant._

XxX

"I should have known something was up, but we were so swept up in graduation that I forgot. I guess I found out eventually…"

XxX

_ Armin was devastated when Annie cornered him the night before graduation. "Armin, I'm sorry but this has to end." Armin felt like he had been punched in the gut. He had an inkling this was coming, but he had pushed it away. Annie had been oddly distant the past couple of days, and Armin had known it had to do with the future. Their future, the future he now realized that was never going to exist._

_ Armin sighed. "I know," he said sadly._

_ "I'm going to be joining the military police and you'll be joining the Survey Corps judging by your friendship with Eren. We're going to be separated soon, and it's just better to end it now." Annie's face was completely emotionless, and for the first time in a while Armin had no idea what she was thinking. "It's been fun," she said._

_ "That it has," Armin admitted quietly. They stared at each other for several moments, then Annie walked away, leaving Armin standing there feeling like he was broken beyond repair._

XxX

"You were pretty bad at hiding that secret from me. I understood why it had to happen, but I didn't like it. In fact, I hated it. It felt like my heart was being ripped out.

"You should have trusted me. I kept your secrets safe and told no one. Except for one. The most important one, and yet the one you never told me…"

XxX

_Armin hated standing next to her, hating it and loving it at the same time, hating himself for loving it. They had ended whatever existed between them, but were standing together for the 3D maneuver gear inspection. He wanted to be like her again. Feeling nothing while simply living on. But he couldn't. Armin had been feeling for too long._

_ He was surprised when Annie started talking to him. They hadn't spoken since they had parted ways, but here she was, speaking to him like nothing had ever happened between them. Armin welcomed it, as talking to Annie felt like a hint of those days of bliss that felt like forever ago. He wondered who could have killed the titans. He knew he hadn't and he was positive that Annie-_

_ Armin's eyes shifted to Annie's 3D maneuver gear and his heart skipped a beat. It wasn't her gear. It was Marco's. 'Maybe hers is broken,' he told himself unconvincingly. It was Annie. She was using Marco's gear for inspection and it was the only logical conclusion. He tried to reason that she didn't kill them, but what had been a feeling before turned into a conviction. No matter how much he tried to deny it to himself, she had killed the titans._

_ The question was: should he tell someone? If Annie did it, he should let the higher ups know so she could be punished. But that felt like a betrayal to her, to what they had been. If Armin told, he was violating any trust they once had. _

_ In the end, his heart won out over his head. Armin said nothing._

XxX

"And maybe if I had said something, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did…"

XxX

_ The female titan grabbed his squad leader out of the air and crushed him. His broken body fell to the ground in a bloody heap. Armin's eyes widened as he attempted to process what had just happened. His other squad member had his line snatched and the man was dashed against the ground. Armin only began to realize what was happening when the female titan caught up to him. Knowing that his death was inevitable, he let go of his spare horse's reins, hoping to spare the animal. _

_ A huge foot loomed over Armin and he looked up, seeing his demise. The foot smashed down not on top of him, but next to him. He was thrown off his horse and tumbled onto the ground. The titan knelt on the ground next to him. He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch as he was eaten. Armin suddenly felt a pressure on his head and he looked into the titan's eyes and it slipped off his hood. He stared at the titan's surprised face, and watched as it slowly stood up and ran on._

_ Those had been her eyes. Armin could never forget that exact shade of blue. It was the color of the calla lilies from so long ago. The titan with Annie's eyes had betrayed a bit of surprise at seeing him. Annie always had that same surprised look when Armin would lean in and kiss her. 'It can't be Annie, though.' Annie was inside the Stohess district, safe within wall Sina like she had always wanted. But Armin couldn't erase the suspicion from his mind. He used to trust Annie impeccably, yet was doubting her now. It was a stupid idea, but it was one he was going to have to keep in mind, as the horrid events of the day made everyone a suspect. Someone was a traitor._

_ Reiner rode up with a spare horse. "You have no chance to survive beyond the wall if you don't ride a horse?" The taller man shouted. As they rode, Armin told Reiner and Jean his theory about the titan being like Eren. The two were a bit disbelieving, but the three of them agreed they would have to deal with the threat heading towards the formation. Armin had told them that the titan was a shifter, but he had neglected to tell them he thought it might be Annie. To betray her like that with no proof was a horrible thing to do. Even though Armin might think cruel things like that himself, he would not tell anyone else of his suspicions without solid evidence. _

_ When they finally caught up with the titan, Armin instructed the others to put their hoods up so that she would have to examine their faces. As they approached her, the titan turned and smashed her arm towards Amin. Once again he was sent sprawling to the ground and the titan loomed over him. As Jean engaged her, Armin had an idea._

_ "Jean, you gotta avenge him! The guy who was in a hurry to die has died fast on that right flank! Avenge him!" That same look of surprise flashed over the titan's face and Armin right then and there knew his suspicion was more than a suspicion. She knew him. She knew Eren. Annie had used Marco's 3D maneuver gear for the inspection, meaning in all likelihood she had killed the titans. It all fit, and Armin didn't want to admit it to himself. There was some hope, right? He could have been imagining things about the maneuver gear, she could be a titan with a conscience and spared him because he was young, and might have heard all about Eren from someone else. It was okay, though. All Annie had to do was prove him wrong. He was going to tell the higher ups everything. Annie would either be proved to be a titan or proved to be a victim of his slanderous accusations. Either way, it didn't matter._

_ He could only hope Annie would forgive him._

XxX

"And after that, I told them. I told them you were the titan shifter we were looking for. And after that, you know what happened. What you did."

XxX

_ His heart skipped a beat when he walked by, intent on some mission. Her face was as emotionless as ever, but Armin now knew that it was the face of a murderer. She must have felt _something_ when she killed those men, but it was hard to believe looking at her now. He gulped nervously and stepped forward. "Annie," he called out to her. 'Don't let her know you know. Don't give up the game,' he told himself. The woman he loved- once loved- walked over to him and Armin's resolve wavered. He began having doubts. It couldn't be her, he was wrong. Annie would never do something like this. He had to prove himself incorrect though, no matter how much of a betrayal towards her it felt like. Their conversation passed in a blur. It was an awkward conversation, but Armin knew they could never talk like they used to. The level of intimacy would never be there. And if the events transpired that day like he hoped they wouldn't, he wasn't sure if he would even want that intimacy,_

_ Annie was indecisive when Armin asked for her help in getting Eren away from the Military Police, and he could see she was leaning towards not helping them at all. He tried to frantically think of something that could convince her. "Annie, if you don't help us now, to me you will turn into a bad person," he said, banking on Annie's feelings for him, if she still had any. He saw her eyes widen. "Alright," she said, and Armin breathed a sigh of relief. They were one step closer to proving his cruel and unfair theory wrong. He watched her slip on a ring, one that he had never seen before, and they walked out of the alley._

_ The walk to the underground city was tense. He could sense Eren and Mikasa's feelings of animosity towards Annie, and he had to stop himself from feeling them as well. 'Annie is innocent until proven guilty,' he told himself. No matter his hopes, however, he was starting to feel the same dread that the other two Survey Corps members were feeling, the same betrayal. His was worse, though. While Eren and Mikasa were feeling the betrayal of a comrade, he was feeling the betrayal of a lover. _

_ "Yep, we'll take this passage," Armin informed the others, and he, Eren, and Mikasa descended the steps into darkness. His heart sank when he looked back at Annie, who was standing near the entrance. "Cut the nonsense and let's get going," Eren growled at her, but she refused to move. "No. I won't go. It's scary down there. If you're not going to take the surface route, then I won't help you." There it was. The confirmation they needed. Annie was never scared. In all the long hours they had talked, Annie had never once said what she feared, but he knew it couldn't be the dark or enclosed spaces. Eren and Mikasa mirrored his sentiments. "What the hell are you saying?! Get down here now!" Eren shouted, but Armin knew it wouldn't do any good. She wasn't going to come down because to do so would be certain capture. _

_ Annie looked around. "For some reason, there's been no one around us for a while," she commented, face blank. She looked at Armin and her expression contorted in bitter anger. "I'm hurt you know. Armin… since when did you start looking at me with those eyes." 'My eyes?' What was wrong with his eyes? They must contain a bit of sadness, a bit of anger, and… disgust. He was disgusted not only with Annie, but with himself. He thought he had truly known Annie, but he had been a fool. _

_ Every question he asked her after that further confirmed the sickening truth. She had used her gear to kill the titans and used Marco's for inspection. She had turned into a titan and murdered their soldiers before returning to the Stohess district. She would have gotten away for it if it hadn't been for one thing. "It's because you didn't kill me when you had the chance that things turned out the way they are now!" Armin practically yelled. Eren shouted at her to come down, to prove them wrong, but it was no use. Mikasa drew her weapon and started up the stairs at Annie, who laughed._

_ It was a sick, perverse laugh. Armin had become used to Annie's somewhat genuine laughs, and this monstrous noise warned him something was wrong. "Armin, aren't you lucky that I was such a good person to you? For now you won the gamble." Her expression became manic. "What I gambled on is only starting!" Armin fired the signal flare in the air, feeling like ice. Men surrounded Annie instantly, holding her limbs and shoving a cloth in her mouth. He saw the flash of silver on her finger and yelped as Mikasa yanked him and Eren backwards. The shockwave from Annie's transformation nearly blew him over, and when the smoke cleared he could see broken bodies lying drenched in blood. 'Annie killed these people. She killed them.' It was one thing to hear of her murderous deeds, but it was another to actually witness her killing people so violently. _

_ Annie's titan hand shot through the tunnel and Mikasa dragged Armin and Eren backwards. They ran until the met up with the other squad. "Yes, Plan A failed! We now have to switch to Plan B!" Armin yelled at them. The roof suddenly caved in over where the men were standing as a giant foot crashed through the ceiling. A titan foot. Annie's foot. The men's bodies were crushed in the rubble, more black marks to Annie's name._

_ As Eren tried and failed to turn into a titan, Armin knew they had to act. His former love was trying to kidnap Eren at all costs and they couldn't allow that. He felt horrible thinking about Annie when it was the brunette he really needed to worry about. But every time he tried to think of a plan, a way out, Annie's sickening laugh would replay in his head. He was broken by her betrayal, and needed to fix himself if they were going to get out alive. _

_ When Armin jumped out of the hole, Annie's face was the first thing he noticed. She looked determined, an expression he rarely saw on her emotionless face. Because Armin had betrayed her, she now had to fight for her life and freedom. He whirred through the air with his gear and let a couple of tears gush down his cheeks. Because of him, someone he used to love was now dead to humanity. As he later held Eren after the titan transformation, he realized he had been wrong all along. Annie was not ice like he had previously thought. Her heart was not ice, it was crystal; and in trying to melt it he had only succeeded in attempting to chip away at the surface. He had failed his mission, to make her smile, to make her laugh._

_ To make her truly happy._

XxX

"Now, if you can hear me, you're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this. I usually stay for a couple of minutes and try to get you to come out, but I've decided I'm done." Tears streamed down Armin's cheeks and he struggled to say his next words. "Annie, I've come to say goodbye. I need to leave us behind, just like you left me behind. I don't understand why you never trusted me, but I guess I never really understood you. All I can say is thank you. Thank you for all those times we had together, all the things we shared. They were the best moments of my life." Armin turned and headed to the stairs. He turned one last time to look at her before he left for the light of the day.

"Goodbye, Annie."

* * *

_If you read this far, would you please rate this one-shot on a scale anywhere from "You're a genius!" to "Please go hang yourself." Any advice or possible edits are welcome, because a fanfiction is always a work in progress!_


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